Six-year-old son: “I have a new nickname. ‘The Awesome.’” (He says the name while waving his arm dramatically and staring into the distance.)

Me: “Who gave you this nickname?”

Son, again waving his arm: “The Awesome.”

One of the best parts of being a writer is being able to envision yourself differently. Name yourself whatever you want. Put yourself in situations you’d never encounter. Be as loud, funny, passionate or bold as you’ve always dreamed of being.

Even more fun, for me anyway, however is when the character I’ve created no longer feels like me at all. I know I’ve hit the sweet part in my writing when the character is so real, the only thing missing is breath and flesh. The character’s likes, dislikes, triggers and experiences aren’t anything like mine any more.

When that happens, I feel like renaming myself “The Awesome.” But the name’s already taken.

Writers, what makes you feel awesome? Is it when you finally iron out the plot? When you lose hours to writing? When you type “The End”?